The present invention is related to apparatus for making a tube connection. More specifically, it is an extension and improvement upon the inventions disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,827,727 and 4,061,367.
In products which utilize tubing, whether copper, steel, aluminum or other malleable metal, many of the connections are of a permanent nature. At one time, a majority of these connections were made by welding, soldering or brazing the ends of tubing sections together. This was time consuming and costly. The first improvement in the connection of such tubing sections was the flareless fitting. This provided more rapid connection, but did not provide sufficient strength and performance necessary for a great many applications. Further, the cost and weight of the flareless fitting proved a substantial drawback.
It is the simultaneous accomplishment of these three goals of low cost, light weight, and high performance which has proved elusive in the design and construction of a permanent connecting device. An innovation in tube connection technology, and the technology upon which this invention is an improvement, is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,827,727; 3,893,720; 4,026,006; and 4,061,367. These patents relate to various designs of sleeve and lockring assemblies which cause deformation and intimate contact between the sleeve and tube section to create a permanent, high performance sealing contact. Nevertheless, the demand for higher performance, lighter weight, and decreased cost has required that the present technology still be improved upon. The present invention provides such an improvement.